1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display device including two transparent substrates pasted to each other via a liquid crystal sealing space in between, with a semiconductor chip mounted directly on one of the transparent substrates. The present invention also provides a method of making semiconductor chips used in such a liquid crystal display device.
2. Description of Related Art
In some liquid crystal display devices, overall size reduction and weight reduction including miniaturization of the control and driving circuits is important. In such a liquid crystal display device, a semiconductor chip that provides the control and driving circuits is mounted directly on one of the two transparent substrates included in the liquid crystal display device.
As shown in FIG. 8, according to this kind of liquid crystal display device 10, the two transparent substrates 11, 12 are pasted together, via a predetermined liquid crystal sealing space in between, to provide a display region S, and one transparent substrate 11 of the two is formed with an extension 13 extending further than an edge 12a of the other transparent substrate 12. On the extension 13, a semiconductor chip 20 is mounted directly, and further, external connection terminals 30 including a plurality of terminals are disposed. The external connection terminals 30 are connected with a cable such as a flexible flat cable 60, thereby providing the liquid crystal display device 10 with electrical connection with e.g. an external control circuit.
As understood from FIG. 8, the liquid crystal display device 10 according to this arrangement has its extension 13 formed oblong like a belt, and the semiconductor chip 20, which is oblong and rectangular, is disposed with its longitudinal axis laid longitudinally of the extension 13. Further, the external connection terminals 30 are disposed more outwardly than the semiconductor chip 20 and along an outer edge 13a of the extension 13.
In such an arrangement, each of the external connection terminals 30 must have a reliable connection with the flexible flat cable 60, mechanically as well as electrically, using solder for example. For this reason, each terminal must be given a certain minimum dimension widthwise of the extension 13. Thus, the extension 13 requires an extended dimension L which is at least a sum of the above-mentioned dimension of the terminal, the width of the semiconductor chip 20 and a certain margin necessary for formation of a wiring pattern. This has been a reason why the liquid crystal display device 10 cannot be further miniaturized or light-weighted.
It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide a liquid crystal display device capable of facilitating further reduction in the and weight.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of making semiconductor chips suitably used in such a liquid crystal display device.
A liquid crystal display device provided by a first aspect of the present invention is a liquid crystal display device including a first transparent substrate and a second transparent substrate pasted to each other via a liquid crystal sealing space in between, and provided with a predetermined display region,
wherein the first transparent substrate is integrally formed with an extension extending further than an edge of the second transparent substrate and longitudinally of the edge of the second transparent substrate,
wherein the extension is provided with at least one semiconductor chip having a longitudinal axis laid longitudinally of the extension, and
wherein the extension is formed with an external connection terminal region including a plurality of terminals, the external connection terminal region not overlapping the semiconductor chip longitudinally.
According to a preferred embodiment, the semiconductor chip includes a plurality of semiconductor chips.
Also, according to the preferred embodiment, the semiconductor chips are spaced from each other longitudinally of the extension, and the external connection terminal region is between the semiconductor chips.
Further, according to the preferred embodiment, the semiconductor chip includes a first semiconductor chip incorporating a driver analog circuit and a second semiconductor chip incorporating a control circuit and/or a logic circuit which includes a storage circuit and so on.
According to another preferred embodiment, the display region is divided into a first display portion and a second display portion. The semiconductor chip includes a first semiconductor chip serving the first display portion and a second semiconductor chip serving the second display portion.
According to another preferred embodiment, a circuit pattern formed in the first semiconductor chip and a circuit pattern formed in the second semiconductor chip are symmetric to each other.
According to any of the liquid crystal display devices having one of the arrangements described above, the semiconductor chip(s) and the external connection terminal region do not overlap each other longitudinally of the extension. Therefore, it becomes possible to save the width of the extension, and as a result, further size reduction and weight reduction of the liquid crystal display device can be promoted.
A second aspect of the present invention provides a method of making a first semiconductor chip and a second semiconductor chip for a liquid crystal display device having a display region divided into a first display portion and a second display portion, the first semiconductor chip serving the first display portion, the second semiconductor chip serving the second display portion,
the method comprising wafer processes using a plurality of masks in making the first semiconductor chip and the second semiconductor chip,
a mask for use in a wafer process for the first semiconductor chip being turned over to be a mask for use in a wafer process for the second semiconductor chip.
Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become clearer from the following description of embodiments to be presented with reference to the accompanying drawings.